1 00:00:03,480 --> 00:00:09,520 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning, 2 00:00:10,800 --> 00:00:16,760 Speaker 1: This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's 3 00:00:16,800 --> 00:00:20,640 Speaker 1: tip is to make a moonshot dot to dot map. 4 00:00:21,840 --> 00:00:25,040 Speaker 1: If you have big goals that are not currently achievable, 5 00:00:26,120 --> 00:00:30,560 Speaker 1: brainstorm the various intermediate steps that might bring you there. 6 00:00:31,920 --> 00:00:36,360 Speaker 1: Seeing these steps and what they might require can help 7 00:00:36,440 --> 00:00:41,640 Speaker 1: make a big goal feel more doable. Today's tip comes 8 00:00:41,640 --> 00:00:46,000 Speaker 1: from Elizabeth Sharp mcketta's new book, Edit Your Life, which 9 00:00:46,040 --> 00:00:51,240 Speaker 1: is about living with intention in a messy world. Elizabeth 10 00:00:51,280 --> 00:00:55,200 Speaker 1: explains that a moonshot dot to dot map is a 11 00:00:55,320 --> 00:00:59,880 Speaker 1: prompt for brainstorming how to move toward any currently unachievable goal. 12 00:01:00,960 --> 00:01:06,040 Speaker 1: That is, it is a moonshot. When President Kennedy talked 13 00:01:06,040 --> 00:01:08,920 Speaker 1: about going to the Moon in the early nineteen sixties, 14 00:01:09,880 --> 00:01:12,959 Speaker 1: the technology to go there wasn't ready for prime time, 15 00:01:14,120 --> 00:01:18,720 Speaker 1: but it got there with a lot of work. Similarly, 16 00:01:19,720 --> 00:01:24,160 Speaker 1: just because something isn't currently achievable doesn't mean it never 17 00:01:24,200 --> 00:01:28,400 Speaker 1: will be. You just have to figure out the intermediate steps. 18 00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:32,800 Speaker 1: So Elizabeth tells us to draw a dot for your 19 00:01:32,840 --> 00:01:37,080 Speaker 1: life as it is today, then draw a dot for 20 00:01:37,160 --> 00:01:41,200 Speaker 1: your moonshot goal. What steps could you set up to 21 00:01:41,240 --> 00:01:46,480 Speaker 1: succeed in getting there, brainstorm a bunch of dots that 22 00:01:46,640 --> 00:01:51,200 Speaker 1: might go in the middle. For example, Elizabeth says, if 23 00:01:51,240 --> 00:01:54,280 Speaker 1: your dream is to be a lawyer and you currently 24 00:01:54,320 --> 00:01:58,240 Speaker 1: work in customer service, one of those dots would need 25 00:01:58,240 --> 00:02:01,400 Speaker 1: to be going to law school. You could then think 26 00:02:01,400 --> 00:02:03,680 Speaker 1: about other aspects of that, like that there might be 27 00:02:03,800 --> 00:02:06,200 Speaker 1: night classes, so maybe you could keep your day job. 28 00:02:07,440 --> 00:02:12,000 Speaker 1: Another dot would be prioritizing regular study time, and another 29 00:02:12,120 --> 00:02:15,799 Speaker 1: might be finding mentors and allies in the legal field. 30 00:02:16,639 --> 00:02:21,600 Speaker 1: Be creative and be specific, she says, which is the 31 00:02:21,680 --> 00:02:26,320 Speaker 1: simplest dot to dot path between your now life and 32 00:02:26,360 --> 00:02:31,880 Speaker 1: your ideal life? Which steps feel easy and which feel daunting? 33 00:02:33,440 --> 00:02:36,280 Speaker 1: Break your dot to dot map into smaller steps if 34 00:02:36,280 --> 00:02:40,720 Speaker 1: you need to, she says, until each dot feels, if 35 00:02:40,760 --> 00:02:47,880 Speaker 1: not easy, at least achievable. I like this idea. Many 36 00:02:47,919 --> 00:02:52,320 Speaker 1: big goals are about layering on bits of progress. What 37 00:02:52,600 --> 00:02:56,040 Speaker 1: isn't doable now might be doable in a year with 38 00:02:56,120 --> 00:03:00,600 Speaker 1: consistent motion. When I first moved into my new about 39 00:03:00,600 --> 00:03:05,200 Speaker 1: a year ago, having all the renovations finished and having 40 00:03:05,240 --> 00:03:10,280 Speaker 1: everything unpacked and getting any needed furniture and making things 41 00:03:10,320 --> 00:03:14,560 Speaker 1: look nice seemed almost overwhelming, and it would have been 42 00:03:14,600 --> 00:03:18,080 Speaker 1: overwhelming to do in a week or two, but in 43 00:03:18,120 --> 00:03:21,800 Speaker 1: a year or two it's not so bad, And I 44 00:03:21,840 --> 00:03:25,760 Speaker 1: could map out various steps in the middle. First, unpack 45 00:03:25,800 --> 00:03:32,640 Speaker 1: the kitchen boxes. Later, get curtains, later, yet unpack the 46 00:03:32,639 --> 00:03:36,880 Speaker 1: boxes in the closet. I am working on revising a 47 00:03:36,960 --> 00:03:40,800 Speaker 1: novel now, and the finished product seems far in the future. 48 00:03:41,920 --> 00:03:45,040 Speaker 1: But I mapped out a chapter outline, and I wrote 49 00:03:45,080 --> 00:03:48,680 Speaker 1: the flap copy, and now I am following a revision 50 00:03:48,720 --> 00:03:51,720 Speaker 1: schedule that has me doing one to three short chapters 51 00:03:51,760 --> 00:03:55,320 Speaker 1: worth of edits each week. Then I will work through 52 00:03:55,360 --> 00:03:58,200 Speaker 1: the whole book at once, and then I will get 53 00:03:58,200 --> 00:04:03,720 Speaker 1: test readers and so forth. What big goals are you 54 00:04:03,800 --> 00:04:08,400 Speaker 1: currently pursuing? Getting a handle on the various steps might 55 00:04:08,440 --> 00:04:12,280 Speaker 1: seem daunting, but I think it makes big goals feel 56 00:04:12,320 --> 00:04:16,000 Speaker 1: more doable to know those steps. Sure, there might be 57 00:04:16,080 --> 00:04:21,080 Speaker 1: a lot of steps, but each individual step isn't so much. 58 00:04:22,279 --> 00:04:26,880 Speaker 1: If you give yourself enough time, probably you can get there. 59 00:04:28,080 --> 00:04:31,839 Speaker 1: After all, getting to the moon took less than a decade. 60 00:04:33,120 --> 00:04:38,120 Speaker 1: You can do a lot in that time. In the meantime. 61 00:04:39,040 --> 00:04:43,640 Speaker 1: This is Laura, Thanks for listening, and here's to making 62 00:04:43,680 --> 00:04:53,520 Speaker 1: the most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to 63 00:04:53,560 --> 00:04:56,520 Speaker 1: hear from you. You can send me your tips, your questions, 64 00:04:56,640 --> 00:05:00,400 Speaker 1: or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Book 65 00:05:00,480 --> 00:05:05,280 Speaker 1: and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod that's b E the 66 00:05:05,400 --> 00:05:09,640 Speaker 1: number four, then Breakfast p o D. You can also 67 00:05:09,640 --> 00:05:13,719 Speaker 1: shoot me an email at Before Breakfast Podcasts at iHeartMedia 68 00:05:13,760 --> 00:05:16,400 Speaker 1: dot com that Before Breakfast is spelled out with all 69 00:05:16,440 --> 00:05:18,960 Speaker 1: the letters. Thanks so much, should I look forward to 70 00:05:18,960 --> 00:05:27,880 Speaker 1: staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartRadio. 71 00:05:28,480 --> 00:05:33,920 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 72 00:05:34,000 --> 00:05:40,560 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.